An Introduction to Club Cycling - 4 December 2021

"An Introduction to Club Cycling" is a monthly ride run by ICC specifically for people who would like to try out the club cycling environment in a non-pressured and supportive group.

If you wish to join ICC then you will need to complete one of the compulsory training sessions, either this Introduction Ride or the Group Skills in Regents Park.

You must be signed up for this event to take part. If you are not signed up here on the forum, you will not be able to participate.

PLEASE READ

Unfortunately we cannot offer this session to complete cycling beginners as we are not teaching cycling proficiency.

Also please read our Group Skills Guide before attending: https://islington.cc/s/ICC-Group-Riding-Guide-2021.pdf

ALL ABOUT YOU:

You should have already been cycling regularly in some capacity and be confident cycling on London's roads.

You should be familiar with your bike, its set-up and be confident riding it. If you've only just bought your bike, take it out for a couple of spins on your own to gain confidence before you join a group ride with us.

You should have a moderate level of fitness already. Capable of riding 40 km at an average speed of at least 20 km/h on the flat, with several steep hills and only brief stops. If you're not yet comfortable at that distance or pace please build up with solo rides before coming along.

You should be interested in learning how to ride with a group, and open to improving your cycling skills and communication with other riders.

THE SESSION:

We will cycle a 40 km route and discuss group formation, signals, group communication.

There may be a cafe stop at the end of our ride where we can discuss things such as endurance fitness, hill climbing and any other questions about the club. Depending on pace, we should get to the cafe stop in Highgate between 11.30am - 12.30pm.

HOW DO I JOIN IN?

If you wish to attend this session you need to sign up to the ride here on the ICC forum.

Register as a user on the forum (please help us by creating an actual name rather than the default username), then click the 'Yes I'm Attending' button above to confirm your attendance. If you see no places left, it is because the session is full. We do not maintain a waiting list so please keep checking back in case a place becomes available.

Places are strictly limited - this is to ensure we can safely guide you on our route. Because of this, please do not attend this session if you have not signed up on the forum - you will be turned away.
Please note: If you sign up but do not attend, we reserve the right to restrict your future attendance to Intro Rides. This is due to high demand for spots on this ride. If you do sign up but cannot attend, please remove yourself from the attendance list so someone else can take the spot.

WHAT TO BRING:

As with all club rides, you must wear a helmet to take part in this ride.

Your bike must be in a good and roadworthy condition. Check your wheels are straight, that your gears shift reliably and your brakes work correctly. Ensure your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure.

Spare inner tubes, tools and a pump. Other riders may help you if you are in trouble but you should be self-sufficient and at the very least be able to fix a puncture.

We're only doing a short ride, so an energy bar or a banana will do for food. Make sure you start the day with a decent breakfast!

Bring water, making sure that you can easily carry it with you on your bike.

The weather can change quickly so make sure you have checked the weather report and dress appropriately (waterproofs/warm clothing when appropriate).

Money for the cafe stop or in case of an emergency (you might be in a situation where you need to get a train or taxi home so bring enough cash or your cash card!)

WHAT TO LEAVE AT HOME:

BIKE LOCKS. Please leave your heavy D lock at home! You will not need it on this ride.

RUCKSACKS. You should be able to stuff all your things into jersey pockets or a saddle bag. Please aim to travel light.

OTHER STUFF:

ALL RIDERS MUST observe the Highway Code AT ALL TIMES when riding with Islington CC. This includes: riding no more than two abreast and riding in single file to allow traffic to pass on narrow roads, obeying traffic lights and signs, not riding on pavements and not abusing other road users.

Please acknowledge any courtesy shown to you by other road users and stop at pedestrian crossings where necessary.

Riders attend club rides strictly at their own risk. Please listen to your ride leaders and follow their instructions.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Zac,
Development Secretary

Looking forward to it!

@user136292 @JBell @Richard.Armit @brodycorn @rachel-her @user136488 @user127227 @Felix_Hawkings @SteveHunt49 @user136686 @Katya @user135925 @OliverGreenstein @user136803 @Artem @user136147 @MaríadV @user136927 @CatherineH @user136948 @Natasha.Switzman @Giulia_Caste @SamG1234 @KellyMccain @AMoore

I hope you are all looking forward to the Intro Ride on Saturday. Please remind yourself of the informaton at the top of this thread and read our Group Riding Guide beforehand so we can spend less time standing around during safety briefing and more time riding!

Please could everyone with @user usernames change to something more personal. It makes it much simpler for us to process new members after the rides.

If you are no longer able to make it please remove yourself by clicking "Can't Make It" at the top of this page, as this will open up your spot for others to take your place. If you reserve a space but fail to attend we may limited you from attending in the future.

We look forward to welcoming you. Please let me know if you have any questions.

This is the route we will be doing. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31883560

David,
Incoming Development Secretary

Hi!! Just to be sure, could you please tell which is the meeting point?

The meeting place is close to the centre of Queens Walk which runs directly across the centre of Highbury Fields, see map at the top of this thread. Highbury Fields is close to Highbury Corner and Highbury & Islington Tube.

You are allowed to cycle on Queens Walk which is a shared use path. Please be aware of pedestrians and move off Queens Walk itself onto the grass once you have reached your meeting point area.

As David says please do remove yourself if you can't make it as these rides are usually full. Judging by sign up dates, a lot of people have freed up places which others have taken which is great. There are still 8 free spaces at the time of writing. Note also the weather forecast is looking a lot drier for Saturday morning than it was a few days ago so lets hope it stays that way and I look forward to meeting you on Saturday.